City won’t take action against former police chief

Published 11:31 am Thursday, February 25, 2010

No disciplinary action will be taken against former Austin police chief Paul Philipp and an investigation into Philipp has been called off, the mayor announced Thursday.

Philipp announced in mid-January that he would retire at the end of the month because of a complaint filed against him, ending a 31-year run with the department. That complaint led to the city’s investigation.

In a written statement, Mayor Tom Stiehm called the investigation thorough and said that because Philipp is no longer employed by the city, he is no longer subject to disciplinary action by the city.

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The mayor added that even if Philipp was still an employee, nothing would have come of the complaint and subsequent investigation.

“While the city takes these allegations against Mr. Philipp very seriously, they do not rise to the level of formal disciplinary action,” Stiehm wrote.

Details of the complaint are unclear, but in a statement released in January, Philipp said that the allegations are largely untrue and unfounded. He did not elaborate further on the nature or source of the complaint, through he did write that it involved alleged “misconduct.”

Ultimately, Philipp said that by stepping down, he would save the Austin Police Department from having to deal with an unnecessary distraction.

“For this reason, I think it is necessary to announce my retirement,” Philipp said in his statement. “I think it is best to spare the Austin police force additional controversy that may be divisive, that may cast doubt on the integrity of law enforcement, and that can only be harmful to the department that I have endeavored to serve.”

A call to Philipp for comment Thursday was not answered or returned.

Lt. John Mueller, who, along with Det. Brian Krueger, has been filling in for Philipp since his retirement, said he had no comment when asked about the investigation.